Furnace ash-pit and grate.



Ho. 65|,409. Patented lune 12, 1900. w. n. BALCOM.

FURNACE ASH PIT AND GRATE.

(Application filed May 23, 1898.)

(No Modal.

WITNESSES //VVEN7'0H,

I W'Mbwm DBmMw/u.

' A TTORNE Y m: upnms PETERS CO .'PHOYO-LITHO .-WASNKNGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

\VILLIAM D, BALCOM, OF NORlVlClI, CONNECTICUT.

FURNACE ASH-PIT AND GRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,409, dated June 12,1900.

, Application filed May 23,1898. Serial No. 681,464. (No model.)

To all 1071/0112, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. BALCOM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norwich, in the county of New London and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFurnace Ash- Pits and Grates, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

The object of this invention is to soimprovc the construction of theash-pit sections and grates of ordinary furnaces that the gratebars maybe severally removed without'disturbing the com panion' bars and withoutdraw ing the fire.

To assistin explaining my invention, lhave provided the accompanyingdrawings, serving to illustrate the same, asi 'ollows:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved ash-pit fitted up with mynewlyinvented grate, said view being broken away in part to exposetheinterior construction of the ashpit. Fig. 2 shows said ash-pit andgrate in plan and partly in horizontal section and explains particularlythe manner of removing and introducing a grate bar. Fig. 3 is acrosssectional view taken on line a: x of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the letters a (1 denote the sides of theash-pit, and b the usual base-section mounted thereon to receive andsupport the furnacesection.

Reference-letter 0 denotes as a whole the grate-bars, the same havingformed thereon at their opposite ends journal portions 0 0 Thegrate-bars c are adapted to be introduced into their respectivepositions in the ash-pit or removed from said ash-pit through openings01 in the sides a a thereof. the said openingsd is provided for eachgratebar 0 and said openings are preferably located alternately in theopposite side walls a a of the ash-pit.

Each opening d is adapted to be closed by a door e,which doors when inposition form panel portions of the said side walls a a. Doors 6 haveeach a flange or rib projection e to prevent them from falling inwardinto the ash-pit and are also provided with buttons f, adapted to engagethe inner faces of the ashpit walls a a to lock the doors in position inthe ash-pit walls. (See Fig. 1.) Buttons fare provided at their outer orexposed ends with One of knobsf, by means of which vthey may bemanipulated.

Tosupport the grate-bars c in position in the ash-pit, suitable bearingsare provided on the inner faces of the side walls a a and of the saiddoors 6. Ofthese grate-barbearin gs the one opposite the opening (1 isformed as a solid bearing g, preferably cast upon the inner face of theash-pit and of suitable shape and size to receive the journal 0 of thegratebar. The companion bearing to the one just described, provided forthe reception of the journal 0, is formed in two half portions, theupper half h of which is formed upon the side walls of the ash-pit, andthe lower half h of which is formed upon the upper end of door 0.

When placing a grate-bar c in position, said bar is passed through itsopening d, the

door 6 having been previously removed, and

its journal end is introduced into the bearing g. The journal 0 is thenelevated into its seat in the upper part h of the halved bearing, inwhich position the bar 0 is held by suitable props until door e isplacedin position, thus causing the half-bearing h formed thereon tocomplete the bearing for the said journal end 0' of the grate-bar, afterwhich the said prop may be reached from and withdrawn through the maindoor of the ash-pit.

then the grate is in position, the end thrust is taken by the engagementof the end of the grate with the portion of the wall within or at theupper part h of the bearing, thereby preventing the grate from pushingthe door 6 out of position even it the buttons should accidentallybecome disconnected from the wall of the furnace upon the inside.

When it is desired to remove a grate-bar, it is only necessary todisconnect the operating-rod and remove the proper door 6, when theadjacent end of said bar at once drops to the floor of the ash-pit,after which said bar is withdrawn through the opening at.

By providing the door with a flange upon its exterior it can be insertedfrom the outside of the wall, and by having the grate-journals plain andshort enough to fit between the walls a Very close bearing may besecured for the grate, as it can beheld in its desired position and thedoor can be inserted in the opening in such a manner that the journal ofthe grate will enter the bearing on the door without being moved fromits position.

In some cases it becomes necessary in placing a heater to set theash-pit so close to a wall or other obstruction that the bars c couldnot be well withdrawn from its sides, as just described, and when suchis the case the bar or bars may be introduced into or removed from theash-pit through its main door at the front, the openings d being thenutilized simply to enable the operator to disconnect the old bar and tomount the new barin its bearings.

Each grate-bar c has formed near that end which is adjacent to thejournal 0 an arm 70, that hangs down in the ash-pit when the bar is inposition. These arms of the gratebars are located alternately-11. 6., atthe opposite ends of the grate-bars-and each of the arms is preferablyadjacent to an opening d. The lower ends of the arms is, near each sideof the ash-pit, are pivotally secured to rods on, extending along theside of the ashpit and projecting outward from the front to receive theusual operating-levers, by means of which either of the bars 172 ismoved reciprocally to rock the alternate grate-bars, as will beunderstood from the drawings; but such connections and operations beingold no detailed description thereof is deemed necessary. To secure thearms is to bars m, eachof said arms bears-upon its free end a stud 70,adapted to pass through suitable openings in the bars, which studsreceive near their outer ends a pin 70 to retain the bars m in positionthereon.

With the construction just described it will be seen that the arm 7t maybe readily attached to and disconnected from the bars m in the processof inserting or removing a grate- My newly-invented ash-pit and gratepermit the introduction or removal of each gratebar independently of itscompanions,and such operation may be performed without disturbing thefire should there be one upon the grate, it being only necessary to rakethe fire from the grate-bar that is to be removed.

My device as a whole is of very simple construction and may therefore bevery readily understood and easily manipulated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a furnace, thecombination with the side walls, one of which is provided with ajournal-bearing, and the other one is provided with an opening oppositesaid bearing and a half-bearing upon the inner face of the wall at thetop of said opening, of a door in said opening the exterior of which isprovided with a flange, and the interior is provided with ahalf-bearingto register with the halfbearing on the side wall, a button on the doorfor engaging the side wall, and a grate, the ends of which are providedwith journals to fit between the walls and in the journal-bearings, theintermediate portion of said grate being provided with means for rockingit.

2. In a furnace, the combination with the side walls, each of which isprovided with alternately arranged journal bearings and openings, theopenings of one wall being opposite the bearings of the other wall, andthe portion of the wall immediately above the opening beingprovided'with a half-bearing, a door in each opening, provided at itsupper edge with a half-bearing to register with the half-bearing on thewall, a series of grates between the walls, the ends of each of whichfit within oppositely-located journal-bearings, auarm upon theintermediate portion of each grate adjacent to the end within thehalf-bearings, and a longitudinally-movable element connected with thearms upon each side of the grate for rocking the grates.

Signed at Norwich, Connecticut, this 12th day of May, 1898.

WILLIAM D. BALCOM.

' Witnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, ALONZO M. LUTHER.

